1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a detachable apparatus for automotive equipment in which automotive equipment, e.g., automotive audio equipment such as a car stereo having a detachable front panel including electronic parts such as a liquid crystal display (hereinafter referred to as an LCD) on a front surface of a body can be detachably attached to a dashboard of a car.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings shows a conventional detachable apparatus for attaching this kind of automotive equipment to a dashboard of a vehicle.
Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a car stereo body 101 which is accommodated in and secured to an attachment frame 102 whose front wall is opened. This attachment frame 102 is supported by a concave portion of a dashboard (not shown). Base end portions of resilient lock plates 103, 103 are secured to left and right side walls of the car stereo body 101 by means of two pairs of screws 104, 104. Two nail portions 105, 105 which are outwardly bent are formed on the free ends of these lock plates 103, 103, respectively. Reference numeral 106 depicts a detachable front panel that is attached to the front wall of the car stereo body 101.
When the conventional car stereo body 101 thus arranged is attached to the attachment frame 102, wires (not shown) drawn out from the attachment frame 102 mounted on the concave portion of the dashboard (not shown) are connected to the car stereo body 101. Then, the user fixes the lock plates 103, 103, prepared as accessories of the car stereo body 101, to the side walls of the car stereo body 101 by screws 104, 104 and the car stereo body 101 is inserted into the attachment frame 102. At that time, the lock plates 103, 103 that are attached to the left and right side walls of the car stereo body 101 are flexed and the nail portions 105, 105 are slid while being urged against the inner wall surface of the attachment frame 102. Then, when the nail portions 105, 105 of the lock plates 103 reach engagement apertures 102a, 102a formed on the side walls of the attachment frame 102, the lock plates 103 are resiliently restored so that the nail portions 105, 105 are engaged with the engagement apertures 102a, 102a, thus the attachment of the car stereo body 101 to the attachment frame 102 being completed.
When the car stereo body 101 supported by the attachment frame 102 is detached, the front panel 106 is detached from the front wall of the car stereo body 101 and the lock plate 103 is inwardly flexed by some suitable means such as a tool or the like inserted from a left or right spacing between the car stereo body 101 and the attachment frame 102 to thereby release the nail portion 105 from the engagement aperture 102a. Under this condition, the car stereo body 101 can be taken out and detached from the attachment frame 102.
Further, an earth or ground connection for grounding a static electricity from a human body and preventing the accumulation of an electrical charge on an LCD (liquid crystal display) of the car stereo having a detachable front panel and the peripheral portions is carried out as follows. That is, an LCD support member that supports the LCD is introduced into a control base plate on which electronic parts such as a switch or the like are mounted. Such LCD support member is extended to a connector of the front panel through a pattern circuit of the control base plate so that the LCD support member is grounded through the car stereo body at its connector to which the connector of the front panel is connected to the chassis of the car stereo body.
However, in the conventional detachable apparatus for automotive equipment thus arranged, there are required two lock plates 103, 103 that are attached to the left and right side walls of the car stereo body 101. Also, there are required the two pairs of screws 104, 104 that are used to secure the lock plates 103, 103 to the left and right side walls of the car stereo body 101. Therefore, the number of accessory assembly parts is unavoidably increased and the number of processes required when the user attaches the car stereo body 101 to the attachment frame 102 is also increased. Accordingly, it takes plenty of time for the user to attach the car stereo body 101 to the attachment frame 102.